


You're Awe Inspiring and Mildly Terrifying

by ashmandalc



Category: Fallout 3
Genre: Gen, after getting the GECK, dad lives au, its bc im weak ok, just some father-daughter escaping from a military complex bonding time, no romance meaning no mention of my LW's crushes, set mid game, teen is for language and some violence, yup another within mere hours of the first one i put up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 06:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20170003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashmandalc/pseuds/ashmandalc
Summary: F!LW wakes up in the Enclave's clutches, and finds her father as she wanders the cell halls on her way to Eden.





	You're Awe Inspiring and Mildly Terrifying

Waking up in front of Colonel Autumn was the worst kind of surprise, perhaps second only to getting hit with a plasma grenade just as she had the thing her father died for in her hands. His demands for the code were met with several variations of “Fuck You” and “Eat a bag of dicks”. On one hand, her father abhorred that kind of language leaving her mouth, but on the other she liked to imagine he’d be smiling eerily at the Colonel right about now.

Eden letting her go was a better surprise, but still not great, as she was trapped in the Enclave’s base. After getting past the first guard, she took her time roaming around, getting a feel for the place while trying to loot anything she could get her grimy paws on. Of course, her first stops were the other cells. Most were empty, except for two: One with an old man bent and sobbing, scared, on the floor. The other…

“Dad!”

The barrier surrounding him was just as annoying as hers had been. Through the blue light, she could see he was bloodied and bruised. The locker in his cell held the items he had been holding on to when the Enclave showed up at the Memorial, and on the wall on the opposite side of the door was another camera lens, flickering light blue. She pounded on the wall next to it, growling obscenities until Eden responded.

“What on Earth is the trouble, girl? You’re supposed to be meeting me. Why aren’t you on your way?”

“You know goddamn well why I’m not on my way. You let him go, or I take this place down piece by piece.” She was snarling, teeth bared to the lens.

“I believe this is another of Autumn’s captives, yes? Am I to assume you know him?”

She roared, punching the lens.

“Don’t play stupid, you overbearing piece of shit! Let. Him. Go!

“Alright, alright! No need for violence, young lady. Consider it done.”

The blue barrier around her father fell, and she dove to catch him before he fell to the floor. She began patting his cheek, calling to him.

“Daddy? Daddy?? Wake up. I’ve got you!”

She scrubbed a bit at some of the crusted blood on his cheek, then pulled out a stimpack, gently pressing it into his neck. The syringe hissed as it released the medicine, and his eyes shot open, one arm waving wildly as the other was pressed against his bleeding side.

“It’s okay, Dad! It’s okay! It’s just me.”

His eyes raked over the room before landing on her, a sigh of relief leaving his lungs.

“Judith! You have to run! They’ll...they can’t have you. I won’t let them, sweetheart. You have to run!”

Judith patted his arm.

“They already got me, but Eden let me go. I’m supposed to meet him, but I found you when I was headed there. I made him let you go, too.”

“You...you what? But--”

“No time, dad. I’ve got more stimpacks with your name on’em if you can stand. We’ve got to get out of here, and if listening to that overblown windbag is how to do it, we’ll do it.”

She pressed her forearms under his armpits, and helped him get upright, keeping him steady when his balance wavered.

“Judith, sweetheart, you’ve got...you’ve got blood on your clothes.”

“I’m okay. Some of it’s mine, but most is from super mutants. Fawkes went a little crazy with the super sledge he had on him.”

James appeared confused. “Wait...Who is Fawkes?”

Judith ignored him and handed him more stimpacks, letting him decide where he needed them the most before she handed him one of her shotguns and some ammo.

“Not an ideal weapon here, but it’s better than just your 10mm. I have some grenades stashed just in case, but I’d rather not use them in this enclosed space.” She fitted him with some more armor pieces she had planned to use to repair some she had at home. He watched in awe, following her commands as she handed him more gear.

“Darling,” he muttered.

“Yeah?” She was counting out more shells to hand him before he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“You’ve grown so much…I never wanted this life for you.”

She tried to smile warmly at him, but it fell flat before she scoffed.

“Marriage counselor of the vault was better? I mean, really, Dad. The Macks alone would have been one giant migraine I’d never get rid of.”

James sighed fondly, bucking a finger under her chin.

“You always did have a way with words, sweetheart.”

Judith gave a small smile before pressing a quick, messy kiss to his cheek, then spun around to start her walk to Eden again.

Eden released his order that they should not be harmed as they made their way to him, only for it to be revoked a few minutes later. As the first plasma round flew past her face, she shoved James into a small room filled with computers. Chinese assault rifle out, she aimed and shot, doing her best to take down heavily armored soldiers. A blast behind her sounded, and she spun to shoot, only to see her father staring down at a scientist. Or rather, what was left of one. 

Judith bumped her elbow against his before swiftly making her move across the parapet to the door leading up to the next level. She could hear her father’s angry grumbles behind her as she took the time to disable barriers blocking chests from her hands. Perception was a hell of a thing, allowing her time to hand him better armor, better weapons, more stims. Continuing their mad dash, they stopped only when Sentry bots brought them to a halt. Judith raised her gun, ready for the kill, before she saw more armored soldiers getting gunned down by the hulking robots. In confusion, she lowered her weapon, cautiously stepping up to one. When it welcomed her, and warned her to be safe, she giggled, grabbing her father’s hand and sprinting for the door.

“What was that, Judith?”

“I have no idea, but I’m not about to question it. A blessing is a blessing, right?”

“I suppose I can’t argue with that logic.”

They changed from sneaking to running in turns, stopping for stims and ammo along the way as needed. A power suited Enclave soldier rushed them in a side room during a stop for supplies. She spun, shouting when the soldier bashed her gun out of her hand. She was pressed against the wall, the man’s forearm pressed against her throat as she gasped for breath.

“Get away from my daughter!”

A gasp left the soldier before he started sliding away from her to the floor. Standing in front of her, her father held a combat knife in his hand, dripping blood. His eyes looked up to her, worry evident on his face. She breathed in and out, in and out, in and out, getting her bearings again before stepping up to him, smiling.

“I know it’s hard, but we’ve got this. Right?”

He nodded. She nodded once, then dropped to rid the soldier of his armor.

“You know how to work power armor?” She asked.

“I’m afraid not. It’s not something the Brotherhood is quick to teach civilians. Do you?”

The wide grin she flashed him made his heart lurch. His little girl used to give him that look when she would sneak candies from the diner. Now, she gave him that look while tugging armor off a man’s corpse.

“You bet I do. When you tell them you have an important mission, and you’ll do it with or without their help, then remind them your battle is against their worst enemy, they’ll do just about anything you ask. Just in case you need that info for later.”

She buffed some blood off the latch before climbing in the suit, affixing the helmet and flicking the headlamp on.

“Stay behind me. I can take the hits, if you want my assault rifle.”

“But what will you use?”

She walked out the door, headed toward the last soldier they had killed before finding the room. Bending, she picked up the plasma rifle that had been used against them. With a touch of a button, it began to glow green, readying itself to be discharged. He watched in awe as she raised the rifle to test the aim.

“I’m good,” she said, then began making her way down the hall, where the stairs waited to take them to see Eden.

~~~~

James watched his daughter handle the talking with Eden, and what a mouth she had out in the wasteland.

“I’m not doing your fucking dirty work, Eden. You’re talking about killing thousands of innocent people. If you want super mutants dead that bad, go shoot them, but the ghouls? They’re like everyone else in this hellhole: trying to get by.”

“But the genetic mutation--”

James lifted a finger, coughing.

“Actually, it was proven that the mutation existed in humans before ghouls came about. That’s what brought the first ghouls. The trigger for the gene was the higher doses of radiation, which the bombs brought when they fell. So you see, Mr. President, the mutation itself is not the issue. The ghouls are, really, just as my daughter was saying, just surviving like everyone else. Eradicating ghouls will do your plan no good, as the world is still covered in pools of radiation.”

Judith hummed in agreement, nodding to the lens.

“I...I see. I had not thought of that.”

“Also, your militant presence is doing more harm than good for the people of the wasteland.” Judith said pointedly to the camera.

“The people of the wasteland do not want the Enclave here. The time for America of the past is gone. Society is not what it was, and it will never be that again. The best thing you can do is destroy what’s left before the people of the wastes take you all on by storm.”

James watched with held breath, his eyes settling on the screen, waiting for the sound wavelength to show.

“I...see your point. Though, I still must insist that you take the vial with you before you leave. Once, you leave, I will set off the self-destruct sequence, and this base will no longer exist.”

Judith grabbed the vial, handing it to her father to let him tuck it away in his bag.

“Miss, it has been an honor to have spoken with you. I wish you luck in your travels.”

She nodded, saying nothing, then turned and headed out the exit. Once they reached the door to the outside, it opened and she gasped at the scene in front of them. James watched as a super mutant in torn remnants of clothes was shooting a gatling laser at escaping soldiers.

“It’s Fawkes!” She cried, hurrying down the steps toward the mutant. James struggled to keep up, wondering just what his daughter had been doing that involved making friends with super mutants.

Once the mayhem died down, and no more soldiers rushed them, she left the suit of armor to sprint and jump at the mutant, throwing her arms around his neck.

“Yes! Friend! I have come to rescue you!”

James stood silent, watching the exchange pass between them. The mutant seemed gentle with her, carefully setting her down on her feet.

“I saw them take you, and I followed to this facility. I had wanted to aid in your escape, but it seems my help was unneeded. And you’ve gained a new friend as well!”

Her hand wrapped around two of Fawkes’ fingers, tugging him toward James.

“Fawkes, I want you to meet my father. Dad, this is Fawkes. He’s a Meta Human.” She said this with purpose behind it, and he took the meaning, nodding as he cautiously held out a hand.

“Mr. Fawkes, my name is James Porter.”

“Doctor! Doctor James Porter.” Judith said.

Fawkes looked to him, then to his hand.

“You...you would shake hands...with a creature like me? You would show this kindness...to me?”

“You seemed to have charged here, ready to fight an army for my daughter. I understand the feeling.”

Fawkes carefully took James’ hand, shaking it once, twice, then dropping it. Judith patted the giant’s arm.

“I’m so glad to see you, big guy.”

James assumed what formed on the mutant’s face was his approximation of a smile, but he couldn’t be sure.

“And I am glad to see you as well, little one! Shall I accompany you both?”

“Of course! I’d rather have you here with us than anywhere else!”

“I am so pleased to hear this, my friend! Then let us journey toward...Where was it we’re headed now?”

Judith turned to her father.

“The Jefferson Memorial. We have a GECK to put in place.”

Judith clapped, walking to the power armor, and stepping inside once again.

“Then let’s head on! This is way too long a walk to not plan out conversations. So! Who wants to go first?”

Fawkes raised a hand.

“If I may, what kind of doctor are you, sir?”

“Well,...”


End file.
